There are also some ecosystems, such as the boreal forests of Canada and Siberia and the Amazon rainforest, which are huge absorbers of carbon dioxide, but which are changing rapidly because of temperature increases and deforestation.
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The sad reality is that in many developing countries there are too many interest groups that view forests as being worth more (to them) dead than alive.
And wherever there is such demand for tropical agribusiness, forests are being razed to meet it.
Conservationists say there are long-term benefits to the poor if they conserve the forests, as the land retains water and nutrients.
There are thought to be around 400 Asiatic lions in Gujarat's Gir forests.
You will need to be self-sufficient: there are no shops, indeed no nothing, en route - just unspoilt forests, streams to ford (watch out for crocs) and broad beaches a-scuttle with hundreds of crabs.
Fromkin says there are eight "radical turns" that have brought us from the African forests of millions of years ago to where we are now, among them: becoming human, inventing civilization, developing a conscience and achieving rationality.
There are about 600 pandas left in the wild: more than half the bamboo forests where they live have disappeared in the last 30 years.
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There are other greenhouse gases, other atmospheric pollutants, the effects of cutting down forests, and more: together these things may contribute almost as much as carbon emissions to global warming.
Also, there are reports that officials have pledged non-transferable assets as collateral, like protected forests.
There are limited human activities in the buffer zone, and the transition area, which includes forests, plain areas, wetlands and many rivers, is where most economic activities take place.
There are 17 different land cover types shown in the image, including 11 natural vegetation types such as deciduous and evergreen forests, savannas, and wetlands.
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